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Vampire Creation
The Neolithic Vampire Template The Vampires of the Neolithic era are not the Kindred known in modern times. They're a disparate, solitary group of predators that all share a thirst for blood and an aversion to fire, both that utilized by the People and that which makes up the Sun above them. It's said some patron entity guides their creation and development (or perhaps simply lays a curse on those undead with a taste for blood) despite disparate origins, however, so even those of varying birthright share several traits. Except as noted below, the Vampiric Template works as represented in Vampire: the Requiem 2e. Sleep Daysleep provides a point of Willpower to Neolithic Vampires, just like a night's rest does for anyone else; their fluid nature means their dreams are better able to reinvigorate them in this early time. Predatory Aura The Neolithic Vampire has a more potent Predatory Aura. Any given Kindred may add a skill rating to the dicepool of each of the three Aspects of their Beast when lashing out, as appropriate to the situation. Using the Monstrous Beast to proclaim dominance in combat might allow Brawl to be used, but a 'calmer' use might simply use Intimidation. In addition, Neolithic Vampires do not need to spend Willpower to lash out against each other (or anything else); they're not yet so resilient against the Beasts of others of their kind. Feeding Restrictions Neolithic Vampires are not yet so reliant on humanity; treat Blood Potency as two lower, to a minimum of 1, with regards to what a Vampire can feed on. A Blood Potency 4 vampire can feed on animal blood, for instance. All Vampires can feed on the blood of those spirits that have it, as well as Pangeans, though the latter might cause undue side effects, or more simply, Final Death if the entity is unwilling. To clarify, Unnatural Affinity is not needed for non-elders to feed on Spirits, Pangeans, or solid supernaturals, and so is only of use to those with BP 8+ in those cases. It IS needed for a Vampire to feed on other types of ephemeral or otherwise non-solid entities. Character Creation Birthright and Affinity Neolithic Vampires have yet to solidify into the clans and lineages that more modern Kindred so take for granted. Instead, the way they came into being has an effect on the Disciplines they develop, the enhancements to their mind and body, and to the banes they develop. Each origin provides either one or two of the Kindred's three affinity disciplines (as well as one free dot of one of those so defined), and one or both of their two Favored Attributes (Neolithic Kindred receive both). One Affinity discipline must always be physical (Celerity, Resilience, Vigor). Clan banes do not exist yet, but these early Vampires do carry some lingering weakness based on the way they were created. The player must choose a Bane that suits the character and their origin; some suggestions are given below. This doesn't count against a Vampire's usual limit on Banes, but exists regardless of Humanity level. Typical origins are listed below; an ST might allow a more unique type with ST permission (this is essentially Restricted). For the purpose of Blood Sympathy, treat Birthright as clan; Vampires have a sense of others of the same "origin" as themselves. Shadows of Dis A corpse, improperly buried or warded, is seen draped in shadow the night before it disappears. A hunter who's been having a harder time breathing each consecutive night, disappears one night, only to appear in the wilderness with glowing eyes. The Birds of Dis are said to be one of the earliest origins of Vampiric creatures, able to transform corpses and living host alike into Undead beings that thirst for blood instead of breath. Mechanically, these are Kindred created via the Synthesis embodiment used on a living creature or a corpse. '''Affinity Disciplines:''' Dominate and two others; one must be physical. '''Favored Attributes: '''Manipulation and one other. '''Bane:''' The Shadows of Dis often have similar banes to those that higher Potency Strix develop (which, of course, are similar to those of modern Kindred). Spirit Born A powerful spirit of blood attempts to Claim a corpse shortly after a death by starvation, the mingling resonance of blood and hunger causing something entirely different than a typical spirit-Claimed, the entity merging with the lingering soul of the victim more completely than should be possible. A powerful Magath of Death and Blood finds an exsanguinated corpse and utilizes its powerful Influences on it, animating the corpse with the same spark of the predator that defines life in the Shadow. While it's far rarer than one of the Owls synthesizing with a body, some few Kindred are born when a spirit's powers have an odd unintended effect, or their essence mixes with lingering resonance on a corpse or victim they attempt to Claim. The victim is brought back as a Vampire, carrying the same thirst for blood as any others of their kind. '''Affinity Disciplines:''' [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nmvnt1UlBBR3DI6_Z1gFyqvPbSQtYi1pp6yIrcowHYM/edit Blood Tenebrous] and two others; one must be physical. '''Favored Attributes: '''Wits and one other. '''Bane: '''Spirit Born find themselves carrying a version of the Ban or Bane that their spiritual creator suffered, adjusted to match the potency of other Kindred banes, if needed. Children of the Dark Mother A woman, caked in sweat and whimpering in fear, is disemboweled by a hungry creature, her blood spilling out over her. As she feels her life force fading, however, a terrible entity appears to her in her mind, a horrific Beast of her own imprinted on the woman's fading soul. The Begotten in modern times tell stories of the Dark Mother, the creator of all creatures of the night, not just the Beasts themselves. In some cases, they're correct; while she's rarely revealed by that name to these Vampires, she is indeed the one that's created their own "Beast", finding those people that recently died with the fear of the cause of their demise still resonating throughout them, then weaving that together with humanity's collective fear of predators and the darkness. '''Affinity Disciplines:''' Nightmare and two others; one must be physical. '''Favored Attributes: '''Presence and one other. '''Bane: '''The Banes of these Vampires often reflect the effects of Anathema on Low Satiety Begotten, or else might make it difficult for the Kindred to feed from those that aren't actively afraid, for one reason or another. Spontaneous Embrace A friendly, if somewhat shaky traveler runs afoul of an angered Werewolf, killed in a bloodbath but their body left mostly intact. Their soul finds it impossible to move on, warped by the sudden primal violence and spilled blood, and so "repossesses" its former body, bringing it back to a state of unlife and reinvigorating it with a similar lust for blood. Sometimes, there's no apparent patron. There's a reason that burial ceremonies and special plots are common within villages of the People; it's well known that random deaths, especially those caused to people that have tasted blood, cause one to linger if not properly moved on, reinvigorating their body with the essence of pure bloodlust, and allowing them to rise that next night. Not quite the same as a ghost-claimed corpse, their entire soul has remained behind, not just a reflection of it fueled by emotion alone. '''Affinity Disciplines:''' Protean and two others; one must be physical. '''Favored Attributes: '''Stamina and one other '''Bane: '''This generally reflects the way they were killed, and what made them linger; the example of a traveler killed by a werewolf might find themselves driven into frenzy at the sight or smell of one of the shapeshifters, for instance. Childer A wise woman is caught in the night by a shadowy attacker, an overwhelming pain felt as her blood is slowly drained away, only for her to wake again as the pain fades, no longer breathing. A tired young man in an outlying village has been suffering through a drought, their life slowly slipping away due to deprivation. The next night, however, he wakes up in a cave nearby, an ivory-skinned woman staring at him. Rare as it is in the Neolithic era, when food is so comparatively scarce, Vampires can still sire others of their kind. Some do so out of guilt, when their Beast causes them to kill someone they planned only to take a bit of blood from, some out of sheer loneliness, and some due to the urgings of the same entities that were responsible for their own creation. This uses the normal mechanics for siring a Vampire, though only those of Blood Potency 2 or more may do so reliably, given the fleeting nature of early Vampire blood. '''Affinity Disciplines:''' Any two of the Sire's affinities, and one other. One must still be physical. '''Favored Attributes:''' Same as their sire's. '''Bane: '''Often the same as the sire's first bane, but perhaps warped slightly to suit the character. '''Other Notes: '''Childer are the only type of Vampires that may join a bloodline at Blood Potency 1; their sire's. Players MUST choose either a named NPC or another PC as their sire to play a childer; they can't simply make one up that happens to match the exact disciplines, attributes, and bloodline they want. Bloodlines Childer may join their sire's bloodline at Blood Potency 1 as normal, or may join another bloodline if another vampire acts as an Avus at Blood Potency 2 (given there's no clans, there's no prerequisite for acting as an Avus). Vampires may create their own bloodline at Blood Potency 3; it's much easier in this early period of Vampiric history, given the still forming nature of their blood. Obviously, just about no official bloodlines exist in this era, but the bloodline gifts and banes of existing bloodlines can be pilfered and given new thematics for a character, or an entirely new one can be made with the help of the Storyteller. In all cases, a bloodline requires ST permission and assistance to create a bloodline, or notification to join another's. Covenant Covenants do not exist yet, due to the low numbers of Vampires and their lack of communication with each other. However, any Kindred can learn a form of Blood Sorcery akin to Cruac, using the systems for Themes in Blood Sorcery: Sacraments and Blasphemies, and updated in Vampire 2e and our [[House Rules#Vampire House Rules|House Rules]]. Anchors Mask and Dirge work largely the same, with their Mask often reflecting their caste in life. As with any anchors, remember that they should reflect concepts appropriate to the setting. Neolithic Vampires do not start with a Touchstone inherently; they must put forth specific effort to gain one (via the Touchstone merit). The first Touchstone gained via the merit is added to Humanity 5, as normal. Those that lack Touchstones entirely are treated the same as those that have all of their touchstones detached, rather than like Kindred that have lost theirs. Disciplines Vampires receive three dots of Disciplines in addition to the free dot they receive from their Birthright. Only two total need to be Affinity, including that. Cruac, as mentioned above, can be purchased with Out of Affinity dots; the first dot of Cruac provides 1 dot in each of the Creation and Protection Themes, and 1 more of the player's choice. Raising Cruac further will provide an additional dot of a Theme, as normal, and Themes can also be purchased separately with Experience (see Experience Costs below). '''Advanced:''' Advanced Vampires receive six dots of Disciplines in addition to their Birthright. '''Restricted/Banned:''' Cruac is restricted at 4 dots and banned at 5 at creation. Merits As with everything else, any merits that aren't appropriate to the setting can't be taken. There's no Status for Clan, Covenant, or City for Kindred, as most Vampires don't organize in any large scale manner yet; at absolute most, a small Coterie might form, but there's no real need for a merit to represent that. Most merits that list non-existing status, covenants, or clans as prerequisites either don't exist or are altered as follows: * The Altar merit exists, having no prerequisite status. * Dream Visions, Kiss of the Succubus, Pack Alpha, and Unsettling Gaze have no prerequisite, but only one may be taken by a single character. * Kindred Dueling doesn't exist, but Riding the Wave does. Experience Costs